


After the Storm

by Emanationman, Ironwingedhawk



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Iron Fist (TV), Luke Cage (TV), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Blood and Violence, First Time, Graphic Description of Corpses, Graphic Violence, Hand Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, M/M, Minor Character Death, PROTECT THEM, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Time Skips, kinda underage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-04 03:53:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12161016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emanationman/pseuds/Emanationman, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ironwingedhawk/pseuds/Ironwingedhawk
Summary: Luke had never expected to hold Danny in his arms again.But here he was, his best friend since forever and now his boyfriend, still in one piece after surviving the Hunger Games.Even after the games have ended, their life isn't easy, the love between a tribute/victor and peacekeeper won't be tolerated by the capitol and on top of that, it turns out that you never really leave the arena, even as a victor.





	After the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this is way more intense, than I intended:  
> It's rated E for violence, the smut's M imo.  
> The underage is 19 yo Luke pinning for 15 yo Danny, but nothing happens and it's just mentioned.
> 
> Based on this amazing piece of art by @Emanationman <3  
> https://thedarkdefenders.tumblr.com/post/165622136867/powerfist-edit-9-hunger-games-au

 

 

 

 

> _“What am I gonna do?” Asked Danny, eyes wide and pleading as they stood in his room. His hands shook and his eyes were wet; Luke’s heart broke for a second time that day._
> 
> _The first time being when Danny’s name was called. The painted woman’s voice still echoed in Luke’s bones. This wasn’t supposed to happen, Danny had been so close to being safe forever. This was his last Goddamn year in the culling and Luke couldn’t believe it._
> 
> _“You’re going to do exactly what we’ve been practicing for the last ten years. You’re going to survive, do you understand me?” Luke said vehemently._
> 
> _Danny paused his pacing and stared; looking into Luke’s equally terrified eyes he must have found something empowering there because he nodded slowly._
> 
> _Danny has been training for this since his parents died. Day after day of combat practice, weapon training, and strategy sessions that reduced his opponent’s pawns. He’d need to think of them that way in order to win._
> 
> _Danny always knew he’d be called. Four years his senior, Luke’s time in the reaping came to a close years ago, he couldn’t volunteer for Danny no matter how much he begged the officials._
> 
> _A Peacekeeper wanting to volunteer for a tribute was unheard of, and as quickly as he stood to volunteer he was ordered to stand down. They would never let a man partake in the games. Their sick game was children only._
> 
> _“Do you think I’ll win?” Danny asked into the heavy silence._
> 
> _Luke paused to seriously consider the odds. Danny was trained beyond even what the luxury districts could provide. He was brilliant and strong. “Yes.”_
> 
> _Danny let out a held breath and smiled wetly, bottom lip wobbling. He was so beautiful, sometimes it pained Luke._
> 
> _Danny was more than prepared to survive the Capitol’s tricks, but Luke knew it took more than training to win. You needed to be ruthless, conniving, and cold. The three things Danny could never be._
> 
> _“You do everything you have to, clear? You come back to me, whole. Understand?” Luke warned, voice hoarse. He’d maybe yelled bloody murder to the sky a little too ardently before coming in._
> 
> _“I- I promise.” He answered solemnly. Stepping closer, into Luke’s space he breathed in slowly, looking up with a question in his eyes._
> 
> _Luke answered by leaning down and pressing his lips to Danny’s, breath catching and disappearing as Danny leaned into the kiss. Not exactly how he was planning to do this, he thought, but even now something felt so right about having Danny safe and whole in his arms._
> 
> _This wouldn’t be their first and only kiss. If Luke had to March to the Capitol and burn it down himself he would. Danny was his, and they could never have him._

 

**_Two weeks later:_ **

 

Luke had never expected to see Danny's beautiful face again. He had tried to find ways to get him out of the capitol and to safety. He had thought that as a peacekeeper he would have at least some options. But all of them would have ended up with him or Danny being killed by the capitol. So he had been left with the option to hope for his boy to win and if it was just to come back to him. Luke knew that if Danny didn’t make it, he would go on a riot against the capitol, he'd shoot everyone from that damn place and go out avenging his... boyfriend? The first real, open romantic interaction between them had been the talk before they took him away. The first time Luke had realized that he was in love with Danny had been three years ago, when they were separated while Luke was trained as a peacekeeper. Before that they had been just friends and after that...well, when Luke had returned he had been nineteen and Danny barely fifteen... it had been sorta creepy. Maybe he would have done something if he knew what would happen this year.

Luke hadn't been able to bring himself to watch the games. As a peacekeeper he had the privilege to be able to choose and patrol the district while people were watching the games. It had been easy to get the job. Most of his coworkers were eager to watch the slaughter. The only thing Luke had done was to watch the roundup of the fallen tributes every day. And every day, he had almost cried out in fear when the names appeared on the screen. Every day, he was relieved. At the day of the finale, Luke had broken down in tears of relief when they announced Daniel Thomas Rand as the winner of the 68th Hunger Games. Soon after that, he found out that Danny had suffered serious injuries in the last fight and that the Capitol’s best doctors were currently fighting for his life. Luckily, it took just hours for the news to drop that he was stable. Due to the injuries however, it had taken longer for Danny to return than normal.

Seeing him up there on stage now felt almost surreal. He was sitting in a wheelchair with both of his legs broken. From the first moment on, Luke could see his eyes searching the crowd for him as he stoically answered a weird lady’s questions. Once he found him, his expression didn't change much but his gaze remained there, pinned on Luke. He had always wondered how Danny was able to recognize him even under his mask. It must be one of his special abilities, when it came to Luke. But something about Danny seemed off. His eyes looked tired and he looked hella defeated.

 

It took days till Luke was certain that he could visit Victor's Village. He had been very busy with work and part of him felt as if it was intentionally planned this way. District Six only had two other victors, Luke hadn't seen them in a long time outside of reaping ceremonies. As of now, the lights in all of the houses were out and the street laid silent in the dark of the night.

Danny's house looked just like the others and the only way for Luke to make it out was the sign at the door.

He took a deep breath and knocked once, twice. The door opened fairly quickly. Danny was there, still in a wheelchair and still looking weak but he was there. Alive and close enough that Luke could hear his breath in the absolute silence. 

"Can... can I come in?"

Danny nodded and rolled back a little.

Luke made it a few steps inside before he slammed the door shut. Then he turned around and lifted Danny up in his arms. Held him so tight that no one could ever take him away again. He could feel Danny's hands clawing his shirt and hot wet tears soaking the fabric where Danny buried his face against his neck, "I came back to you," the boy sobbed.

"I know,” Luke soothed him and stopped holding back his own tears. They just stood there for a moment, crying and holding on to each other until Luke felt too weak, then he sat down on the ground with Danny in his lap. He was thin now, he must have suffered a lot from hunger. That meant that he couldn't have killed for supplies and for some reason it made Luke cry more.

"Can you stay?" Danny asked between silent sobs his eyes were red and swollen and his whole face was wet.

"If it was up to me, I would never leave you again."

"I thought that I would never see you again."

Luke smiled through the tears, "I know. But I'm here, it's alright now."

"Have you seen the interviews?"

"I saw nothing. I didn't want to see you in there."

Luke wasn't sure what Danny thought of this, but his hands gripped tighter into his shirt, it almost started to hurt him.

"Then there's something you need to know."

 

 

 

>   _"Is there someone back home? You know, someone special?" Flickerman winked conspiratorially._
> 
> _Danny tried his best to not tear up. He had managed alright so far, despite the ridiculous black costume that was meant to look like a train or something and the heat of the spotlights. Danny quickly looked over towards his fellow tribute. A girl named Miranda, who looked fairly similar to him. She had blonde long hair, that looked like rivers of golden silk running over her shoulders. She seemed happy that she wasn't the one being asked that question now. He looked back towards the crowd, the people in their weirdly colored costumes and with their weird colored hair. Teenage girls looking at him with wide eyes, blushing every time he meet their eyes._
> 
> _  
> His coach had told him that a no to this question would be better for him. Little girls could ask their rich dads to sponsor him. On the other hand his coach was addicted to morphine and Danny's heart told him to speak the truth. What if Luke was watching back home? And more importantly, what if this was the last time he could talk directly to him?_
> 
> _Flickerman cleared his throat, "Well I guess this is an answer too." The crowd laughed and cheered._
> 
> _Danny focused back on the tv host and tried to not get too distracted by the yellow strands in his dark hair, "There is and if that person is watching..."_
> 
> _He paused and cleared his throat._
> 
> _"Then what, Danny?” Flickerman smiled, way too kindly for someone who was working for something as sadistic as the Capitol._
> 
> _"Then I wanted to say, I love you."_
> 
> _The crowd cheered made awed noises._
> 
> _"That is one lucky lady. Can we get a name?” Flickerman grinned._
> 
> _Danny wasn't sure how correcting him would influence his chances with the sponsors, "I think the one person who needs that name knows who I meant."_
> 
> _"So, back to you Miranda..."_

 

 "I love you,” Danny whispered against Luke's chest, "Always have, always will."

Luke could feel his heart stop at these words. Only two weeks after he heard the worst words of his life.

 

 

 

>    _"Our male tribute for District Six, Daniel Rand. Congratulations!"_

 

Only two weeks later he heard the most beautiful three words there were.

"I love you, too."

Danny smiled and took Luke's cheeks in his hands to kiss him. It wasn't passionate or wild, but gentle, affectionate, and full of heart. 

Carefully Luke lifted his boyfriend up, "Where is the bedroom. I could use some sleep and I guess so could you."

"I haven't slept since I woke up in the hospital in the Capitol. I just couldn't. Every time I close my eyes... every time, I'm back."

 

 

>  
> 
>   _Danny looked down at the body. It couldn't have happened to long ago, which meant that the poor boy had been the canon he heard a few minutes earlier. He had probably been too close for them to pick him up yet. Danny turned around once again. Everything hinted at an accident, as if the kid fell down from one of the trees. There were no signs of knife wounds or anything_ _that hinted at him having been killed by another tribute. Carefully Danny removed the backpack. Somewhere a branch broke. Danny ran. He ran until his breath gave in and beyond, longer and faster, than he had ever run before. Then he was left panting supporting himself on his knees. He climbed up one of the trees, as high as possible and opened the backpack. There was half a sandwich. He assumed that there had been more before but the boy probably all ate it. Now there was nothing else. No more food, and no weapons._
> 
> _Danny pulled his self-made weapons out of his pockets; they were just two stones he had sharpened with other, bigger stones. This year’s arena was a snowy mountain area, if there was one thing there was enough of, it was the stones._
> 
>   
>  _The boy sighed and leaned back against the tree. Minus the dead boy there were six other tributes left. three of them Careers. He hadn’t needed to kill anyone so far and maybe he could actually make it out of here without having to._
> 
>   
>  _Six tributes and he could see Luke again._

 

Luke was woken up by Danny screaming and kicking around at least as much as his broken legs allowed him to do so. He reacted quickly and wrapped his arms around him to hold him still and wake him up.

"Where am I!” Danny screamed in the dark of the bedroom.

"You're alright, you're here with me. Everything's alright."

"Why are you here?! You shouldn't be here! You should be home! You should be safe!"

"We're home,” Luke let Danny go to reach for the light switch. He heard a loud thumping noise and saw Danny on the ground when the light turned on.

"See?” Luke whispered gently as he got up from the bed and walked closer and closer towards Danny with his arms raised, " We're safe."

The boy's eyes were widened in panic and fear, "Luke?"

"Yes."

Carefully, Luke lifted Danny up and laid him back down on the bed. 

"I... I did terrible things. I left her."

 

 

 

>   _"Danny wait!” Miranda screamed._
> 
> _Danny turned around and watched as his ally followed him up the rocky pass. They were still searching for water. They weren't really running low... at least not to a degree where it was critical but they needed to find a place to stay. They had their last drink at a river in the valley but that felt like the obvious choice and the place where the Careers would search for them or other tributes. After all the river had also been where he'd seen Miranda for the first time since the start of the games. The pass was not really visible from the valley and it lead towards what seemed to be a glacier. They could melt snow and have an everlasting supply of water. The big downside to this year’s arena was that it was just so damn cold. Starting a fire, on the other hand, was risky. Danny and Miranda warmed themselves up through movement and at night, they snuggled up together to share body heat. These nights Danny imagined that it was Luke he was this close to. The first night, he had wondered if he was jealous back home. But Danny had quickly dismissed the idea. Luke wasn't jealous. It didn't fit him._
> 
> _  
> Maybe he could send a message to him tonight. If he saw a camera, he could whisper an “I love you” to it or write the words in the snow. Maybe the sponsors would see. And more importantly, maybe Luke would see._
> 
> _"Danny!” Miranda's scream destroyed his little daydream. Danny blinked once against the sun, turning the snow around them into reflecting mirrors. The clouds had moved and he could barely see the blonde girl. What he could see was that she was on the ground now. He stumbled a few steps back down the rocks before he noticed the red pool around her and the knife in her chest._
> 
> _"Danny! Run!"_
> 
> _He was frozen in shock. He could not just leave her to whoever threw the knife. But it had to have come from somewhere. From someone. But Miranda was here. Alive._
> 
> _Danny's heart raced. Whoever threw the knife would need to come and finish her. He had time. He might make it away from here. If these tribute or tributes had a knife, they were most likely Careers and he didn't really stand a chance against them. Not outnumbered and not without weapons. While his heart was still with Miranda, his legs were moving without him ordering them to. He jumped down some rocks and headed towards the woods. Screw the glacier, he needed cover. The moment he reached the tree line the canon disturbed the idyllic silence._
> 
> _Nine tributes left._

 

Luke pressed Danny's face against his chest as he sobbed and ended the story.

"You couldn't have saved her. You would have needed to carry her and you both would have been killed. You would have never made it back here,” Luke gripped him tighter and breathed in the boy's scent. No one could fake this. Danny was here with him. This was real.

"I saw her big brother during the ceremony. He looked at me as if he wanted to kill me."

"You're safe."

"But I understood him."

Luke smiled softly, "Then you are wrong."

Gently, Luke pulled Danny in for a kiss. Danny opened up, hungrily pressing his body tighter and tighter against Luke's. 

Slowly Luke's hand wandered down along Danny's body. He dipped inside of his pants and started to pump Danny's cock. Luke could feel Danny's breath hitching and his hands gripped Luke tighter and tighter.

"Have you ever had someone else do this to you?” Luke asked between kisses although he felt as if he knew the answer.

Danny shook his head and thrusted into Luke's hand.

Back at the academy, back when he had been trained, he had a thing with another trainee. No real relationship, just sex. Every time, Luke had been with him he had closed his eyes and imagined that it was Danny he was sleeping with. 

The real thing, being with him, it felt way better. 

Danny came rather quickly, shuddering against Luke as he came inside of his hand.

"Did you enjoy that?” Luke asked. Danny didn't need to answer, Luke could see it in his blue eyes.

Luke smiled and shifted a little, which caused his erection to brush against Danny's leg. The other man looked at him with widened eyes, "You...?"

"I'm okay, I'll just go to the bathroom. You still need sleep,” he pressed a kiss against the soft spot behind Danny’s ear.

"No,” Danny gently placed a hand on Luke's dick and stroked him. Luke moaned quietly and moved his own hand down to touch Danny's hand as he pumped him.

Luke came, kissing Danny into the pillow. 

After he was down from the high of his orgasm, he laid there for a few minutes, listening to Danny's breath. 

He only noticed that he had fallen asleep when he tried to get up and Danny's weight was holding him down in the bed. Luke smiled fondly. He had no problem sleeping in a messy bed. Danny deserved his sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Showering the next morning was harder than Luke had expected. Not only because of Danny’s two broken legs, but because he broke down crying the minute after the water hit his body.

 

 

 

>   _Danny was woken up by voices talking below his hideaway in the tree._
> 
> _"There aren't many left.” He recognized the female voice as that of one of the Careers._
> 
> _"I know, I know...” the boy from... District 8?_
> 
> _Another career sighed, "The girl from District Eleven. The boy from District Six, Elektra, Kevin, Me and..."_
> 
> _"Me,” District Eight whispered._
> 
> _"You."_
> 
> _"Time to thin us out,” the third career laughed._
> 
> _"No,” Eight pleaded._
> 
> _Then there was a wet slick sound. Danny needed a few moments to figure out that it was the sound of a blade entering and exiting a human body. Immediately after that, the voices started to fade away. The rest of the group was leaving. But there hadn't been a canon yet. When Danny started to smell the coppery scent of blood, he climbed down the tree and landed on the ground with a soft thump. The kid from Eight was still breathing, he couldn't be much older than ten and Danny wanted to turn away from the scene when he heard a weak voice._
> 
> _"Please... it hurts so much."_
> 
> _Danny looked back over his shoulder, teary eyes were staring at him._
> 
> _"I... I... I've never killed. I don't think I can.”_
> 
> _"Please."_
> 
> _Against his mind telling him to leave and get as far away from the Careers as he could, Danny turned around._
> 
> _"What's... what's your name?" Danny asked as he reached for one of his stones._
> 
> _"Liam."_
> 
> _"Okay, Liam. I'm so, so, sorry._
> 
> _The boy smiled, "It's okay."_
> 
> _Leaning back, Danny swallowed and moved the stone over the boy's throat in one quick motion. It didn't work._
> 
> _He had feared this. Danny knew from his training back home, that the stones were more useful to stab people. They didn't really slice well through flesh._
> 
> _Danny used Liam's state of bewilderment to gain momentum and smash the stone down on the other kid's head with the sharp end first._
> 
> _Liam's skull made a scary crunch as it broke but it seemed to have worked. The canon fired immediately. It took Danny a few moments to realize what he had done. He stumbled back with his hand in front of his mouth to suppress his cry. The peacefulness of the boy as he leaned against the tree made the stone sticking out of his head only look worse. Brain mass and blood was covering the ground and as Danny looked down on himself, he could see himself sprinkled in red and pink. He stumbled backwards. His head was spinning. What if the boy hadn't asked him to do this and it had been an illusion caused by his hunger and little sleep? What if he had killed a defenseless kid?_
> 
> _He turned around and ran. He ran, until he reached a waterfall and washed all of the filth and guilt away._
> 
> _Five Tributes until he could see Luke._
> 
>  

Luke held Danny as he sobbed under the shower and told him the story over the sound of running water.

They could find out if he had actually asked Danny to kill him but that would require him watching the footage and he knew that neither he nor Danny should do that right now, or ever.

"I'm sure that you understood him right,” Luke whispered gently.

Danny looked up at him with big blue and red eyes and nodded.

Carefully, Luke lifted Danny out of the shower, wrapped him in a towel and dressed him.

"You know,” he started, "I'm quitting work if you want to." 

Luke had considered that option ever since he heard that Danny had won. Peacekeepers were important to the Capitol and therefore they could actually decide to quit their job. There had been incidents a dozen years ago with some Peacekeepers in Seven who wanted to quit and became sloppy. The Capitol decided after those incidents that Peacekeepers should have the option to end their job whenever they wanted. The price was mostly being an outcast, but there was no punishment from the capitol.

The outcast status was nothing. Luke only cared about one person’s approval, and the person he cared for would never hate him for that.

"You don't have to..."

"I want it. You have money now. We can live here together. We can always be together."

"Always?” Danny asked softly.

"Always."

 

* * *

 

 

Luke put Danny in his wheelchair and let him watch as he prepared their breakfast.

One of the pancakes was burning, so Luke laughed and opened the window. A strong gust of cold air filled the room and Luke could hear Danny whimper.

 

 

 

>   _The platform moved agonizingly slow. Then suddenly, there was a rush of cold air. Danny hissed._
> 
> _  
> The next thing he saw were snow covered mountains and woods. He stood on his platform and let his gaze wander. He was pretty far away from the Careers... If he would turn around and escape immediately after the countdown ended, he could make it pretty far. It had always been his strategy to survive without killing anyone, except maybe his final opponent in the finale. He held himself back during the presentation to not get on the radar of the Careers and have them stalking him during the games. He met the eyes of some of the other tributes, those from the poorer districts were shivering and shaking out of fear. The Careers in anticipation._
> 
>   
>  _Danny wanted to go home._
> 
>   
>  _He wanted Luke. He remembered his strong arms around him, the feeling of his lips against his own and his hand in his curls._
> 
>   
>  **_Ten.  
>  _**_Already?_  
>  **_Nine.  
>  _**_Goodbye Luke._  
>  **_Eight.  
>  _**_He looked at Miranda._  
>  **_Seven.  
>  _**_Maybe this was just a bad dream._  
>  **_Six.  
>  _**_It had to be._  
>  **_Five.  
>  _**_Or not?_  
>  **_Four.  
>  _**_No._  
>  **_Three.  
>  _**_“You do everything you have to, clear? You come back to me, whole. Understand?”_  
>  **_Two.  
>  _**_“I- I promise.”_  
>  _**One.**  
>  __“Do you think I’ll win?”_  
>  ****_Bang._  
>  _Yes.”_
> 
> _Danny ran. He ran fast and without looking back, it couldn't have been longer then a few minutes until he heard the first screams the sound of battle._  
>  **_Boom._**  
>  _He heard the first canon when he entered the woods for the first time._  
>  **_Boom.  
>  _**_The second when he turned around._  
>  **_Boom.  
>  _**_The third when he realized what just happened._  
>  _**Boom.**    
>  __The fourth when he started to sprint again._  
>  ****_Boom._  
>  _The fifth, when he found a place for the night._
> 
> _Eighteen Tributes, until he could see Luke again._

 

They spend the days on the couch, snuggled up against each other. Luke was still holding Danny as tight as he could without hurting him. Occasionally, he would spread kisses down his collar. Sometimes, it would make Danny giggle and then Luke had to grin too. He would actually like to go outside with Danny in the woods that were between Victor's Village and the fence of the district. He wasn't sure if the wheelchair would cooperate, but he could carry Danny a bit. That way, he would also be close to him. Close to his heart. Thinking about it, he was always right there. From the day he met him as a child, and all during the time Danny lived on the street as an orphan.

"What are you thinking about?” Danny whispered against Luke's chest.

"You. Us."

Danny smiled, "I like that.”

"Me too."

"So did you mean, what you said earlier? That you always want to stay with me?"

"Of course I meant that."

Danny kissed Luke's collar, "Good, because I meant it too."

"I know."

Suddenly there was a girl screaming from outside of their little house. Luke knew that there was a sort of playground nearby that kids liked to go to. Sometimes, they would pretend to compete in the games. As soon as they grew old enough though, they stopped that. Because then the horror was too real... too close.

  
Luke looked at Danny and he was pale, his eyes widened in panic and his knuckles were white where they grabbed Luke’s thin T-Shirt.

 

 

 

>   _Boom._
> 
> _  
> One tribute left, until he could see Luke._
> 
>   
>  _Danny was surprised that one of the last two Careers had killed the other before they got to him. He turned around so that he faced the center of the arena. He wasn't stupid. He knew that the Capitol would want to speed things along by now. He should start running before they could send whatever they had on their cruel minds_ _after him. A few minutes before he reached the center, he heard noises behind him. Too light to be caused by humans. He sprinted, running faster and faster until his lungs burned. The sounds stopped, and Danny found himself in the center. The career girl stood at the other side of the meadow. The fact that he was still alive told him that she had no bow. That fact would a lot more calming if it wasn't for the two swords in her hands._
> 
>   
>  _With a devilish smirk, the girl charged at him. Danny walked slowly towards her. He had never wanted to kill anyone during the games. But he made a promise and he never wanted to break a promise he made to Luke._
> 
> _  
> The girl was the first to strike. Danny dodged the attack._
> 
> _  
> The next attack was faster, but Danny used the stone he held hidden in his fist to hit the tip of the sword and to throw the girl off-balance. She stumbled backwards but caught herself, before Danny's stone could connect with her body._
> 
> _  
> Now Danny was the one stumbling. The girl attacked again with her sword and Danny had to let himself fall to avoid the strike._
> 
> _  
> Before Danny could get up, he felt her heavy booted feet connect with his left leg and pain shot through his body. He tried to crawl away to get some distance but he was too slow and his right leg was shattered._
> 
> _  
> The girl kneeled above him, her sword held high, the tip just above his heart._
> 
> _  
> I'm sorry Luke._
> 
> _  
> I'm sorry, that I failed you._
> 
> _  
> Then he had an idea. One last desperate try. He remembered Luke in training, as he had been straddling him just like that with a wooden stick in his hand and a smile on his face. He had looked so damn good. Never before had Danny been so close to kissing him. But that wasn't the important part. Not right now. Important was that he had won the fight back then and that he still had a chance to see Luke again. To kiss him again. To touch him again._
> 
> _  
> Danny took a deep breath that could very well be his last, and waited for the strike._
> 
> _  
> When the girl started to move the sword downwards, Danny brought up his arms as fast as lightning, crossed them and blocked the blow with the upper side of them. He could hear the sword hitting his bones and could see the girl being thrown of balance by the sudden resistance. Danny's hand was already reaching for his weaponized stone, and he used his last bit of strength and the calm he found in thinking of Luke to slam it into one of the girl's eyes. He could feel one of her swords stabbing him just as the canon filled the silence surrounding him now._
> 
> _  
> Luke. I'm coming home._
> 
> _  
> He didn't even hear the fanfare before he passed out._

 

Walking again with Danny by his side was one of the best things that had happened to Luke since they'd been reunited.

  
Apart from that, he was recovering slower than his body had. He didn't wake up screaming that often these days, sometimes he would even smile. But despite this, he was still silent. Luke knew that Danny was afraid he wouldn't love him now. That he wouldn't want to be with him after this, but it was the opposite. It was still Danny and he needed him. And Luke needed Danny.

  
Still it surprised Luke himself when he kneeled down in front of the other man during their walk.

"Always?” he asked, holding out his hand.

Danny looked at him with confusion, until he got it and tears started to form in his eyes, "Always."

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> As always: Thanks to @Casy_Dee for the beta reading <3


End file.
